The Curse of Clow
by Miu Xi
Summary: Syaoran Li is a practical, sensible military graduate Sakura Kinomoto is a princess of a magical land plagued by a curse. When Syaoran is thrown into Sakura's world, will he be able to believe in magic?


**Miu Xi: Greetings to everyone! I am a newbie to and hope to stay here for a long time and read tons of fanfics. XD This will be my very first attempt at a Cardcaptor Sakura fanfic and would much appreciate any help or advice that you'd like to give me. Oh yes, this fanfic was written for the sole purpose of a birthday present for my younger sister. The present is two months late though, so I'll have to make sure that I do my best! Please enjoy! The summary is a little changed to give you a better idea of what's going to happen.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura, the characters, or any concepts in the manga and anime. All rights are reserved for CLAMP, the wonderful group of women who brought the ever so cute Sakura and Syaoran to life! The plot though, is mine and I'm all hyped to get this started!

_Original Summary:_ "I don't believe in luck, fortune, or magic. You have to work hard to get what you want! No amount of chanting spells, creepy rituals, or waving some stick is going to change that!" Syaoran Li, a practical graduate of a prestigious military academy, will be thrust into a fantastical world where monarchs rule with the aid of magic. When a venomous curse plagues the land, will the boy be able to see that life is not merely based on scientific research but lived each day with the strength of his own soul?

**The Curse of Clow** _(Dedicated to My Younger Sister a.k.a. Sakura Yingfa Li)_

**Chapter 1**

_The Graduation Ceremony_

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Gazing into the mirror, Syaoran Li surveyed his appearance carefully. He didn't want to look anything but his best for his graduation, after all, it would be embarrassing to make a fool of himself--especially in front of his mother. She had dropped several business meetings and other engagments to attend this event, and he wanted to make her proud. Reaching up to smooth his collar, Syaoran fixed his tie for the hundredth time that morning. He placed his hands on the sink and decided that he was finally ready.

"Are we all prepared for the graduation now, Syaoran?" a calm, easy-going voice drifted into the bathroom.

Reacting violently to the sudden question, the brown-eyed boy spun around and slipped on a bar of soap that was lying on the floor. He banged his head against the edge of the sink as he sunk to the tiled floor. "Ow..." Looking up while rubbing his head at the same time, Syaoran scowled at Eriol.

In response to this, Eriol simply chuckled and held out a hand. He pulled Syaoran up and said pleasantly, "Your clothes are dashing and will make all the ladies swoon, but dear Syaoran, what will we ever do with that hill on your head?" He dusted the boy off and folded his arms while inspecting Li from head to toe.

Not even relenting to drop the scowl, Syaoran grimaced as the pain increased when he suddenly moved. The boy lowered his hand and took a deep breath. There was no time to be whining over a little bump, it would heal with time. He ignored the little jibe at his clumsiness and stalked out of the bathroom. Grabbing his bags, he exited his dorm room without another word moving very quickly.

Upon entering the silent and empy hall, Li couldn't help but relive some of the old memories that popped up inside his head. For the past six years Syaoran Li had attended the prestigious Tomoeda Military Academy, well known for its great academic subjects and soldier training. The boy had come when he was about ten years old, putting him far behind the others who had several years ahead of him. Syaoran Li, of course, rose to the challenge and worked his mind and body out to catch up. He was now regarded as one of the top students and was quite popular with the women, although he was too focused with school to acknowledge them.

"Reminiscing about the long gone school days?" This time Syaoran was more prepared and pointedly ignored the raven-haired youth. Eriol Hiirigizawa was a fellow classmate who had helped Li a lot of times. Most of the time he could put up with that man, but the rest of the time he just wanted to throttle Eriol. Of course, he could never actually lay a hand on him without Hiirigizawa retaliating. The man was a friend, rival, and an annoying older brother figure. God, he couldn't wait to graduate.

"Oh come now, you aren't going to ignore me just because I gave you a scare? I believe it was you who took the last shower." Eriol carried nothing with him, which meant that he must have already moved all of his possessions to the waiting area. He walked with a confident stride with his hands behind his back, smiling that awful smile which hid too many unspoken thoughts and schemes. Noticing that Li was staring, Eriol stopped and asked, "Is there something wrong, Syaoran?"

"N-no! Of course not! You're just being stupid! Let's just go, okay?" He continued to walk in an uncomfortable silence when he broke it by saying, "What are you going to be doing out of school?"

"Ah...in the mood to talk now?" Eriol chuckled and went on to pacify the ill-tempered Li, "I believe that I will go to the Sky Central College where I will try to major in strategy, after all the war has been getting quite out of hand. If they had a new perspective, perhaps we can end this war and start building for the future. Not everyone in the world is as lucky as you or I, Syaoran."

As they neared the exit, Eriol opened the door and held it open while Syaoran dragged his bags through. He found a spot to put them until the graduation ceremony was over and took a long look at the ceremonium, the place where all formal celebrations took place. It had been decorated from its usual dark and drab appearance to an elegant light design. It sort of made him sad that he was going to be leaving the school, he had called Tomoeda Military Academy his home for so long that it was surreal to think that he wouldn't be returning next year.

"Mr. Li! You need to go to the stage immediately. Everyone else is already there, what are you doing here gaping?" barked Mr. Terada. He pointed to the stage and watched Li rush to the place. Shaking his head at the youth, the teacher turned around to be confronted by one of his students. He instantly blushed as he uttered her name, "Oh, Miss Rika--I didn't see you."

"Hmm...it seems that Miss Rika and Mr. Terada will finally be able to get together. Syaroan, you shouldn't be so nervous. We just have to say a few words, receive our diplomas, and listen to a speech by the General," said Eriol as he settled in a large, comfortable white chair. He smiled over at the slightly sweating Li, who seemed to be having a hard time controlling his breathing.

At the mention of the General, the boy's head snapped in Eriol's direction and said quickly, "The General is here!"

"Well, he isn't here per say, more like he is going to be making his speech via satellite. Don't worry though, I'm sure we can talk to him later. He'll probably come around at the after party." Eriol lowered his voice as the lights began to dim, while the principal called for attention. The boy pointed to the audience and then sat back in his seat.

Wondering what Eriol had been pointing at, Li focused on the audience. His deep honey-colored eyes widened in surprise as he saw his mother and Meiling sitting in the third row. His heart began to squeeze inside his chest as he realized that his name had just been called. Almost hyperventilating, Li walked up to the podium and quickly said a few words concerning his last year at the Tomoeda Military Academy. He tried not to think of Eriol, knowing that the boy would be chuckling to himself at every stumble.

Syaoran straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath as he plunged into the ending of his speech. As the last word fell from his lips, he sighed completely forgetting that the microphone was still on. Everyone heard his stress being relieved and the audience giggled and chuckled. Reddening from his unconscious mistake, Li turned around swiftly as he returned to his seat.

"A grand job, Syaoran Li. Your speech was eloquent and well thought out. You should be proud of yourself, everyone could truly feel what you were feeling--especially at the end," chuckled Eriol as he stood up to deliver his own words of departure.

Sending a scowl towards the ever-so-calm boy, Syaoran zoned out for a while. He wanted to really reflect on what was going to happen next. There was the war that seemed to endanger more people everyday. He clenched his fists in anger as he envisioned the view of cities being destroyed by weapons deployed from space stations high above the earth's hemisphere. It was unfair that the enemy had focues on civilians, but it was the only way to coax the inhabitants of earth to retaliate. He had been waiting for this day for quite some time. From the very first day of school to the present, Li had trained and worked his body to the point of exhaustion to be the very best it could be not wasting time on any frivolous actions as a normal boy would have done.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Eriol Hiirigizawa. That was quite an enlightening speech that obviously brings hope to everyone of us in this room for the future. Now, I must let you all know that Mr. Syaoran Li and Mr. Eriol Hiirigizawa are both top students who are not only rivals but close friends as well. They are the best of Tomoeda Military Academy and they will be the ones who will lead us to victory in this time of conflict," rang the principal's voice. He turned to acknowledge the two mentioned boys and clapped. The audience joined in as they stood up for a standing ovation.

Standing up, Eriol and Syaoran bowed and sat back down when the speakers started crackling. After a few minutes of static, a strong voice began speaking. This voice was soft and gentle while it seemed to be filled with wisdom much beyond anyone in the room. It was the famous General who had been leading the armed forces throughout the war between those in space and those on earth.

"Good afternoon graduate students of Tomoeda Military Academy, faculty, family members, and friends. As I know very well that most of the students are anxious to recieve their diplomas and badges, I will make my talk short. The human race has made great advancements since the dawn time. We have made great improvements that have helped make living conditions better. However, I must point out that humans have made mistakes before. We have made mistakes and will continue to err in the future. My advice to those graduating today who hope to serve in the war is to trust in themselves and not in technology. Our greatest power is that we are humans and have certain qualities that make us invincible. It is up to us to find exactly what those qualities are. Thank you for your time."

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"That was a great speech, Li! You did a really great job! I'm so proud of my fiancee!" shouted Meiling as she hugged Syaoran. The girl stepped back as Yelan, Li's mother, approached. The enthusiastic girl stood off the side and waited as Li presented his diploma and badge to his mother.

Holding them out with both hands, Syaoran bowed to his mother and said, "Thank you very much for your support and continous encouragement throughout my years at Tomoeda Military Academy, Mother. This is the fruit of my labors and I present them to you." He waited until he felt his mother take the diploma and badge from his outstretched palms. Looking up at his mother, he smiled as he listened to his mother's words.

"You did a fine job, my son. I am very proud of your achievements and I hope to see more in the future. You should keep these safe until the time comes to show them at home," said his mother as she handed back the things. She smiled and was drawn into a conversation by one of Li's teachers.

Meiling jumped on Syaoran and said excitedly, "You know what, Li? Your sisters gave me something for you. Let me get it and you can open it to see what they gave you, all right? Be right back!" The girl ran off into the crowd disappearing into the mix of people.

"Come on Syaoran, we have to prepare for the grand event. The famous ' Course of Doom ' specifically created to test the abilities of the seniors! We should start heading over to the main entrance. They decided to set it up where everyone can see. Make sure you warm up properly, after all I wouldn't want you to get hurt," said Eriol as he tapped Li's shoulder.

Spinning around again, Li clenched his fist in spirit of the challenge and replied, "You won't win so easily, Eriol! I'm not letting you get to the prize with that kind of attitude!" He was about to go off with the boy when he suddenly remembered Meiling. She was running to him with a rather large package. She handed it over to the boy when the annoucement came over the speakers.

"Will all the seniors go to the starting line for the Course of Doom! The contest will start in three minutes."

Firmly gripping the package, Li ran with Eriol to the entrance as they weaved their way through the crowd. So many people were already there waiting for the famous race to begin. The two had just made it when the signal for the race to begin sounded off. Stuck with a parcel, Syaoran did his best to secure it on his back before jumping around to keep his balance on the poles that had been set up. It was one crazy event and the teachers had created the course to fully challenge the seniors, plus it wasn't bad entertainment.

Li's brown eyes lit up with the fire of determination as he saw Eriol ahead of him. Pushing himself to go faster and move more nimbly, the boy made his way right next to Eriol. He took a chance to speak to Eriol before leaping over a log, "I don't think you're going to lose me that easily!"

The Hiirigizawa boy merely smiled and suddenly disappeared into a strange mess of coils. Thrown off focus, Li plunged in right after him and realized only too late that a trap lay in wait for him. He noticed a very deep hole that seemed to suddenly appear beneath him. Instantly grabbing onto a coil that resembled a thick rope, Syaoran swung himself over the hole and landed neatly on the other side where Eriol was waiting for him.

"You're quite good, Syaoran. I'm pleased that you've worked so hard these past years. You'll make a fine soldier!" with these words Eriol bounded off to finish the race with Syaoran following right after him.

Grinning at the pure delight he got from physical movement, Syaoran and Eriol went throught he course as if it were the easiest thing in the world. They cracked the codes that blocked their paths, fought off robotic soldiers, and proved their speed and agility by dodging electric balls that were constantly bombarding them. Syaoran was so caught up in the race itself, he failed to notice that Eriol was soon gone from his side. He had completely forgotten that the course was also a maze and you had to make your way out in a logical manner as well as fight to keep yourself from harm.

Hesitating for only a few minutes, Li made his way through a trash dump and nimbly moved from one pile to another. He felt so content and relaxed that he lost his grip when he flipped to land at the edge of the dump. Slipping on his hands, the boy started tumbling down the dirty trash and collided with a metal fence, causing him to get scratched and paralyzed from the electricity steeped within the spikes.

The last thing he saw was the high pile of discarded items falling towards him before he closed his eyes, knowing that his body wasn't going to obey him from the strain it had taken. When nothing touched him, Li opened them to find that there was no sign of trash anywhere. In fact, he only saw a clear blue sky, large healthy trees, and felt the soft grass caressing his body.

He even felt better! Testing out his fingers, he managed to heave himself to a sitting position when he was suddenly knocked down. Thinking that it was Eriol, Syaoran punched back to fought until he had pinned Eriol to the floor. He was sweating and panting as his eyes focused on the figure beneath him. His eyes widened in surprise as he realized that the person he had attacked wasn't Eriol. To tell the truth, Syaoran wasn't even sure that what he had attacked was even human.

Looking back up at him was some kind of lion or large cat with strange jewelary on him. Large, white wings rustled against the grass as it spoke, "I gotta say kid, you're pretty good!"

"W-what!"

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**Miu Xi: Guess who it is! Anyway, please let me know what you think by that little button on the bottom. Review! Thanks!**


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